B&Q's profits prove to be Poles apart

DIY giant Kingfisher, parent of B&Q, is planning to expand its Polish business.

The slowdown in the UK housing market has squeezed B&Q, Britain's largest DIY operator. Analysts expect its operating profits for the 12 months to the end of next January to be around £85million, compared with last year's £131million.

Kingfisher's Polish business is proving more robust: It is likely to make an operating surplus of £115million, although its turnover is less than a third of B&Q's.

Bobski the Builder: Builders from Channel 4 documentary

Kingfisher chief executive Ian Cheshire plans to double the size of the Polish business over the next five years, increasing its outlets from 48 to 100.

It will be helped by the return of many of the 1.5millon young Poles who emigrated in recent years, Cheshire said. 'The Polish builder is now back home and building his own house and flat.'

Operating profits from the Polish operation are likely to rise by about a third this year - helped by an appreciating Polish currency.

The popularity of Polish builders in the UK was highlighted by Bobski The Builder, a Channel 4 Cutting Edge documentary screened last month which pitted a foreign team of builders against a British group.